Container opening



M y 27, 1958 1.. A. MUELLER 2,836,314

CONTAINER OPENING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1955 o L Q fITi-Z-INVENTOR. JAM REN E 441M UEL LEA y 7, 1958 L. A. MUELLER 2,836,314

CONTAINER OPENING Filed June 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:LAWRENCE A M UZ'LLEE.

BY ATTY:

United States Fatent O i CONTAINER OPENING Lawrence A. Mueller, Toledo,Ohio, assignor to The Fred Christen & Sons (10.,Toledo, ()hio, acorporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 515,083

8 Claims. (Cl. 214-305} This invention relates to rendering availablesealed-in flowable contents of containers, more particularly by cuttingand/or severance of the container wall.

This invention has utility when incorporated in equipment for recoveringor salvaging, as for bulk reuse, of milk and other commodities as may bepackaged in cardboard type of cartons, usually approximating a squarecross-section and of varying height as the capacity scheduled thereformay require. The bottom is normally flat, while the remote or top endmay be specially adapted to some type of pouring scheme. The programherein disclosed has to do with rapid slicing of a triangularcrosssection from a bottom corner in transit along a trough, fordraining of total contents forthwith to occur as the severed containersections may be otherwise salvaged or accumulated while the bulk milkmay be available for commercially advantageous reuse.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention in apower-operated carton slicer with a trough over a tank;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carton slicer of Fig. l, with portionsbroken away; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-4H, Fig. 2, showing the drive forthe slicer knife and the trough thereto.

Fig. 4 is a partial section on the line 1V--1V of Fig. 2 showing thebafile curtain.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line VV of Fig. 1 showing the troughand drain means.

Swivel casters 1 are at the bottom ends of the four angle sheet metallegs 2 having weld 3 assembly thereof to the corners of a tank 4 havingthroughout rounded corners 5. There is a flow-ofi or discharge opening 6for duct 7 connection in order that at all times the tank 4 may be selfdraining, and to such purpose, the legs 2 remote from the discharge 6may be sufficiently longer, say to give at least a 2 downward pitch forthe tank bottom.

An electric fitting 8 may plug in at a wall socket for electric currentpower supply conductor lines in a conduit 9 to a toggle switch 10 shownconveniently in proximity to the flow-off end of the tank 4. From theswitch 10 electric conductors 11 extend to a motor 12 having hangermeans 13 mounting this motor 12 below the tank 4.

Fixed on the motor shaft 14 is a pulley 15 from which a V-belt 16extends upwardly about a pulley 17 (Fig. 3) fixed on a shaft 18extending thru self-aligning bearings 19 to a peripherally continuousknife disk or blade 20.

- This embodiment of the invention comprises a 14" wide,

48" lonk tank 4, a l H. P. motor of 1750 R. P. lv'L, and a 1:1transmission by the belt 16 is to a 12" diameter cutter 28. The tank 4at its shallow end is 14" deep with an open top 21 bounded by anoutstanding flange 22.

On the open top 21 of the tank 4 is telescopically mounted a trough 23.Spaced slightly upward from the open bottom of the trough is an angleseat 24 (Fig. 3) in- Ward of which extension end or bottom 2-5 protrudesto seat just inwardly of the tank open top 21. The trough body 23extends upwardly from the angle 24, to a return bend top 26 with longeropposite sides of the oblong in drop wall portions 27. On the side awayfrom the transmission 15, 16, 17, there is a downwardly pitched portion23 meeting an upwardly pitched portion 29. With the por tion 28 upwardlyinclined from V-base 30 at a 30 angle, and the portion 29 at a- 60upward pitch, the inner faces at the base 3% approximate or a rightangle. At spacing of about 2", there are A" diameter leak holes 31 atthis base 30, with an interruption or gap slot'32 so as to leaveclearance for the disk 20'to function. The trough walls proper 28, 29,have slight clearance, say 1" at each end, and this clearance33 preventsthe overflow from accumulating at the base 30 Which'does not readily goout the ports 31 and still permits free discharge of the emptycontainers over the edge 22 of the tank 4. The slicing cutter 29 is nota sawing operation and therefore there is no contamination of thereclaimed commodity. A transparent lid or cover 34 extends along the topribs 26 of the trough 23 from the discharge end gap 33 to leave afeed-in clearance 35 at the entrance end, exposing the trough proper 28,29, for filled cartons to be deposited a bottom corner down at the base30, for such cartons 36 to be thrust along the trough toward the cutter20. The accumulation is normally such that the operator may push theahead ones by ones following thereafter. However, as the final ones areintroduced, the operator may remove from a hook 37 a fork 38 to be heldagainst the last carton as such is pushed astride the cutter 20, as theupper edge of the rotating blade 29 rides actively thereinto. At thehigh speed of rotation for the blade 20, there is some tendency to throwout the liquid, but such is retained mostly in the tank and under thetransparent cover 34. However at the entrance 35, bar 39 provides hangermeans for a curtain 40 of parallel strips to ride down to the inclines28, 29, of the trough. There is thus provided a flexible door opened bythe cartons as they ride along in the trough, since the strips slideover the carton, regardless of its dimension, say half gallon to halfpint, as all register corner-down, and there is not any throwing of theliquid by the cutter past the curtain 40 to establish an untidy orunsanitary condition for the feeding-in of the cartons.

Because the lid 34 is transparent, the operator may see directly theprogress of the cartons as they are pushed along in abutting sequence.As the present batch is completed, the switch 10 may shut ed the power.Lifting of the lid 34, brings the curtain 40 along with it. At theseated position of the trough 23, there is a notch 41 to clear the shaft18. With the trough out, the cutter 20 is exposed above the open top oftank 4, for cleansing.

Weld 42 anchors sheet metal box 43 with the tank 4 to locate thebearings 19 rigidly for holding the shaft 18. A slip-over housing 44encloses the belt 16 and the pulleys 15, 17.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A commodity bulking equipment comprising: a linear trough having anapproximate right angled V- shaped cross section to define a course forthe lower corner edges of commodity charged containers of various sizes,said trough having apertures along its bottom, container splitting meanscomprising a vertical rotating knife edged disc situated in a slot inthe bottom and between the ends of said trough, whereby a lower corneredge of each container is successively slit open so that the commoditytherein is drained from said containers and passes through said slot andsaid apertures, and a bulk collection receptacle situated below'saidapertures for receiv? rotating said cutter, and a cover for said troughover said v;

cutter, whereby the containers 'to be opened and drained are layed inand pushed along said trough and there cut 'open diagonally from theircornersresting in the V-shaped bottom of said trough by said cutter sothe contents of said containers drains from said trough through saidslot into said'tank. 7

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein'said cover has atransparent section therein.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said trough istelescopically mounted in said 'tank and is spaced at least from one endof said tank.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said i 4 a trough is spacedfrom at least one end of said tan whereby the commodity dischargedfromsaid containers which accumulates in the bottom of said trough overflowssaid one end of said trough.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said trough comprises aplurality of holes along its bottom for draining the commoditydischarged from said containers. V

7. An apparatus according to claim 2 including a flexible curtain atatleast one end of said cover extending into said trough.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2 including means for emptying saidtank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,761,984 Frick June 3, 1930 2,131,499 Cruse Sept. 27, 1938 2,772,009

Plusquellic Nov. 27, 1956

